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Thursday, September 23, 2010

To get started select three colors of cardstock or patterned paper and punch three circles. The sizes that I used for my candy corn circles were 1 1/4 inches, 1 inch, and 5/8 inches.

Next, layer the circles on top of each other. Be sure to coat each layer with adhesive so that each portion of the circle is securing glued down.

Cut the circles in half each direction and then cut each half in half giving you four quarter circles. Cut each quarter in half to give yourself eight slices. Then use a corner rounder or simply your scissors and round off the tips. There you go!

lol! I tried to make a giraffe out of the bread by hand cutting it myself...I didn't have a cookie cutter. At least when I showed it to Jayden he knew what it was...so I guess that works =) I did have mini cookie cutters of a giraffe that I used to cut the cheese with. So here it is....an animal bento lunch complete with animal crackers for dessert.

Jayden's first day of Kindergarten...I decorated the fireplace mantle in a school theme for him to see when he woke up on his school day. He loved it!!! It was a last minute decision to do this so I just grabbed toys from his playroom to use as decorations and then created the fireplace banner.

My oldest son Jayden just started Kindergarten this year...sniff sniff. I decided to take on the adventures of "bento boxes" and take my scrapbooking to a whole different level lol! So here is my 1st day of school bento lunch. I made a ham sandwich then used apple slices, kiwi, blueberries and a strawberry to accent the owl's face. For the pencil I used a mozzarella stick and a corn chip (shown from box above) and added a raisin to the tip.

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, brown the sausage, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

In the same pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and just beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 15 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, whisking until light brown and fragrant, about 1 minute. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to low and whisk until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the béchamel sauce from the heat.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, 1 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, the assorted fresh herbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper until well blended. Fold in the sausage and the mushroom mixture, then stir in the béchamel sauce and the cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the pasta into a 5-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano over the pasta. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the top is golden and the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes more. Sprinkle with the parsley. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.